title: Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota protects against nonalcoholic steatohepatitis development in a rodent model.
abstract: Gut microbiota alterations are associated with various disorders. In this study, gut microbiota changes were investigated in a methionine-choline-deficient (MCD) diet-induced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) rodent model, and the effects of administering Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS) on the development of NASH were also investigated. Mice were divided into three groups, given the normal chow diet (NCD), MCD diet, or the MCD diet plus daily oral administration of LcS for 6 wk. Gut microbiota analyses for the three groups revealed that lactic acid bacteria such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in feces were markedly reduced by the MCD diet. Interestingly, oral administration of LcS to MCD diet-fed mice increased not only the L. casei subgroup but also other lactic acid bacteria. Subsequently, NASH development was evaluated based on hepatic histochemical findings, serum parameters, and various mRNA and/or protein expression levels. LcS intervention markedly suppressed MCD-diet-induced NASH development, with reduced serum lipopolysaccharide concentrations, suppression of inflammation and fibrosis in the liver, and reduced colon inflammation. Therefore, reduced populations of lactic acid bacteria in the colon may be involved in the pathogenesis of MCD diet-induced NASH, suggesting normalization of gut microbiota to be effective for treating NASH.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Medical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Univ. of Hiroshima, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima City, Hiroshima, Japan 734-8553. asano-tky@umin.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okubo
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sakoda
authors.forename: Akifumi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kushiyama
authors.forename: Midori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujishiro
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakatsu
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukushima
authors.forename: Yasuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsunaga
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kamata
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asahara
authors.forename: Yasuto
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Chonan
authors.forename: Misaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iwashita
authors.forename: Fusanori
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.forename: Tomoichiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001644:Bifidobacterium / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D002796:Choline Deficiency / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods; D007249:Inflammation / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007780:Lacticaseibacillus casei / Q000378:metabolism*; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008715:Methionine / Q000172:deficiency / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D064307:Microbiota / Q000502:physiology*; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
chemical_list: D008715:Methionine
keywords: Lactobacillus casei strain shirota; gut microbiota; inflammation; lipid metabolism; nonalcoholic steatohepatitis